Ning Yu crashed heavily onto the pile of rubble, his internal organs feeling as if they had shifted, the excruciating pain making it almost impossible for him to breathe. He struggled to get up, but found his vision blurred and his ears ringing.

"Ning Yu!" Mu Xue's anxious voice rang in her ears, tinged with a sob. She rushed to Ning Yu's side, her slender fingers trembling as she touched his blood-stained face. "How are you? Hang in there!"

Ning Yu barely opened his eyes and saw Mu Xue's tear-streaked face, a sharp pain piercing his heart. He forced a smile, wanting to comfort her, but it aggravated his injuries, causing him to groan and blood trickle from the corner of his mouth again.

"Don't speak!" Tears finally streamed down Mu Xue's face. "I'll treat you..."

A soft white light flowed slowly from Mu Xue's palm, carrying a warm aura that enveloped Ning Yu's body. This was the last bit of her healing ability, which she had not been able to recover since the last great battle.

Ning Yu felt a warm current flow into his body, which slightly relieved the pain, but he knew that this treatment was only a drop in the ocean for his current injuries.

The giant python wouldn't give them a chance to breathe. It swam slowly, its cold, vertical pupils fixed on Ning Yu, its eyes filled with greed and bloodlust.

"Hiss..." The giant python flicked its scarlet tongue, emitting a chilling hiss, and its massive body once again approached Ning Yu.

"Go! Don't worry about me!" Ning Yu pushed Mu Xue away abruptly, enduring the excruciating pain in his body, and once again mobilized the violent power within him.

An invisible energy barrier formed before him, but this time, the barrier was significantly weaker than before, flickering with an unstable light, as if it would shatter at any moment.

The giant python seemed to have sensed this as well. It suddenly opened its blood-red maw, and a foul stench wafted out. Its sharp fangs pierced towards Ning Yu like daggers.

"Damn it!" Ning Yu gritted his teeth, desperately trying to circulate the chaotic energy within his body, barely managing to dodge the giant python's attack.

The python, enraged by its missed attack, writhed wildly, launching attack after attack with devastating force.

Ning Yu could only dodge in a sorry state. The energy released by his new superpower was very unstable each time, sometimes strong and sometimes weak, and it was impossible to effectively resist the giant python's attack.

"Ning Yu, be careful!" Mu Xue exclaimed, warning him.

Ning Yu understood immediately, but just as he was dodging the giant python's attack, his foot slipped and he stepped on a loose rock… In the blink of an eye, the python spat out a stream of dark green, foul-smelling viscous liquid and swiftly attacked Ning Yu. Ning Yu was startled; he knew the power of this viscous liquid. If he got stuck, the python would strangle him to death. He endured the excruciating pain and desperately leaped to the side, barely dodging the viscous liquid's attack.

However, the moment he landed, his foot slipped and he stepped on a loose stone. Ning Yu swayed and almost fell, his new ability was interrupted for a moment, and the already fragile energy barrier shattered completely with a "bang".

The giant python had been waiting for this opportunity. A cunning glint flashed in its eyes, and its thick tail swept across like lightning, striking Ning Yu hard with a loud "bang."

"Ning Yu!" Mu Xue cried out in anguish, watching helplessly as Ning Yu's body was swept away by the giant python's tail like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into a pile of rocks more than ten meters away.

"Cough cough..." Ning Yu struggled to stand up, but found that everything in front of him was pitch black, and the intense pain almost made him lose consciousness. He felt a warm liquid slide down from the corner of his mouth, blooming into bewitching flowers on the cold stone.

The giant python wouldn't give up so easily. It slowly swam towards Ning Yu, its eyes flashing with a bloodthirsty glint, as if it could already see the dawn of victory.

Mu Xue rushed towards Ning Yu without hesitation, but the giant python blocked her path. She closed her eyes in despair, tears streaming down her face, "Ning Yu..."

"Don't worry, I..." Ning Yu's voice was broken and weak, like a mosquito's buzz. He tried to raise his hand, but found that he couldn't even move a single finger. "I..."

The giant python looked down at the tiny human before it, its eyes filled with disdain and mockery. It opened its blood-red maw and let out a deafening roar, the stench of which assaulted the senses, as if proclaiming Ning Yu's fate...

The stench, like a deathly cloud, hung over everyone's hearts. Ning Yu felt his consciousness fading, and intense pain, like sharp knives, ravaged his body. He tried desperately to open his eyes, but his eyelids felt as heavy as lead.

"Ning Yu! How are you?" Mu Xue's anxious voice, tinged with a sob, rang in his ears, bringing Ning Yu's fading consciousness back to focus. He couldn't fall! If he fell, Mu Xue, and everyone who followed him, would perish in the snake's belly!

The instinct for survival drove him to struggle on the brink of death. He gritted his teeth, mustered all his strength, and with trembling hands, tried to stand up. The sound of bones cracking rang in his ears, and the excruciating pain made his vision go black; he almost fainted again.

"Boss!"

"Boss, hang in there!"

The roars of the team members echoed around them. They surrounded Ning Yu, using their bodies to block the giant python's approach and offering him support with their meager strength. Their eyes were filled with fear, but even more so with determination; they were prepared to live and die with Ning Yu.

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